The brakes on an airliner are responsible for 80-90% of the braking action on landing or a rejected takeoff. This imparts a huge amount of energy to the tires and wheels. This can result in a variety of failures, including tread separation (especially on retreaded tires), tire fire, and braking system fire. This is usually announced to the cockpit as a "wheel well" fire, over-temperature indicators, tire pressure indicators, etc. all depending on the vintage and type of aircraft.
Braking is only effective if there is firm contact with the runway. A slippery runway (wet, snowy, or icy) will diminish braking effectiveness. Ground spoilers are used to reduce wing lift and thus rest more of the airplane's weight on the wheels. Some pilots also use firm landings ("carrier landings") to minimize the effect of hydroplaning on a wet runway.